Monday, October 10, 2011

DCnU Month One Review, part two

Here's the rest of the month one DC number ones. I keep the spoilers to a minimum, even though some of these books are three weeks old. The hammer comes down on a couple books and some surprise.

I will continue Tony's commentary as well as I'm really digging it. Unfortunately, do to his real life job (super secret scientist), Tony didn’t get a chance to read everything. He did threaten me not to make him look like a simpleton. That is not my goal. I value his opinion very much. Except when it comes to Batwoman. He can suck it on that one.

BATMAN #1: What can I say about Scott Snyder that I haven't said a million times before. Probably my favorite writer right now (behind Jason Aaron) on the name brand Bat book. This book is nearly perfect in addressing the past continuity and not being scary to new readers. And that cliffhanger? I dare you not to come back!
Tony's View: Maybe it's because it Bruce back as Batman. Maybe it's the art that reminds me a time when Spawn was awesome but these are the Batman stories I love to read!

BLUE BEETLE #1: A complete retelling of his origin with tweaks to not tie it to Infinite Crisis which apparently didn't happen now. One of the few books I wish was a bit more little kid friendly.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1: Does not do as good as job as Green Lantern as being new reader friendly (some of the John Stewart stuff was...strange) but a Guy Gardner lead book will at least warrant a second issue. I'm not as upset with the violence as the rest of the world.
Tony's View: Why does the Earth sector have FOUR Lanterns where others have one? Does the rest of the galaxy see Earth as the ghetto of the universe? I like the team up of Guy & John and the "Why don't we wear masks?" line was great. Why does Kilowog appear on the cover of this book and is not in the book?

NIGHTWING #1: The second Kyle Higgins book on the maybe pile making it to the full time roster. It certainly helps that this book ties close to Snyder's Batman. You don't have to read both to get a full story, but it certainly helps this book immensely.
Tony's View: I like Dick Grayson, not as Nightwing or Batman, but as a person. He's just more relatable than Bruce or any other Bat character. I would read a book of just his adventures out of costume.

ALL-STAR WESTERN #1: A maybe pile book that thanks to Jimmy Palmiotti's impassioned plea at Baltimore Comic Con (and Todd's prodding) I checked out. And glad that I did. Such an awesome book that is beautiful. I've never read a Jonah Hex book in my life but this makes me want to get the previous 70 issues.

AQUAMAN #1: The long awaited Geoff Johns relaunch of Aquaman. He's made the Flash and Green Lantern viable properties again! Could he do it with Aquaman? In my opinion (it IS my blog) the answer is yes! This first issue does a great job of positioning Arthur in the same league as the rest of the Justice League and addresses the jokes everyone makes about him. Can't wait for the next issue!

THE FLASH #1: One of the books I was most worried about as artist Francis Manapul was now writing the book. For me, this is usually met with poor result but not the case here. A very good introduction to the character's slightly changed status quo and one of the most beautiful books out there.

THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MEN #1: Gail Simone is one of my favorite writers. Her run on Birds of Prey is great and Secret Six is one of the best books published in the last 10 years. I've never read Firestorm or really carried about him, but her name attached to the book (with co-writer Ethan Van Sciver) was enough to check it out for one issue. In the effort to remain positive, it's one issue was not enough to get me to keep it longer than that. A wasted opportunity.

GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #1: Many in the past have said the Green Lantern cash cow has gotten too fat. This may answer that question for me. A nice retelling of Kyle origin with a slight tweak but if you haven't read a Green Lantern book in the last four years, you could be very lost in what's going on. The second book to fall from the pull list.